He circled the cabin, taking care to keep to the shadows. It wasn’t hard given that he and the shadows were as one. He thought about burning them out, but couldn’t take a chance that the woman might be harmed.
Waiting wasn’t his strong suit. Heat rippled over his dark fur. The Darkling had felt the sensation before. He knew what it meant. The beast was watching.
He hadn’t spotted him yet. If he had, there was no doubt in the Darkling’s mind that he would’ve confronted him. After all, he’d chased him through the French Quarter, unconcerned that they’d attracted attention.
The Darkling lifted its nose and smelled the air. The muscles in his body tightened. Why were their scents entwining? He sniffed again to make sure he wasn’t mistaken, but the odd mingling hadn’t changed.
That shouldn’t be possible without close contact. It would take more than being in a cabin together to create the aroma. Even a cabin that small. What was going on?
The possibilities that flitted through his mind left the Darkling enraged. There was a fine line between attraction and hate, but surely it hadn’t been crossed so soon.
If that wolf had laid the Sighted-One, then he’d do more than kill it. He’d make that Kin suffer like no other. In the end, the wolf would beg for death.
* * * * *
Izzy awoke to find her nose buried in Tristan’s neck. His arms were around her, holding her tenderly, and his chin rested on top of her head. To make matters worse, she’d snuggled up against him with her arm wrapped around his waist.
His breathing was even and relaxed, which seemed at odds with the hard ridge resting next to her hip. There was no way she could extricate herself without waking him.
She tried to remember how they’d gotten like this. A dream flashed in and out of focus. Izzy remembered tears... and asking him to stay. Tristan hadn’t wanted to from what she recalled, but he’d done so anyway.
So he hadn’t been the one to instigate this situation. She had. That just made everything worse. Izzy pulled the covers up over her head. The movement disturbed Tristan.
He dipped his nose to her hair and inhaled, then sighed loudly. A second later, his hips rocked, and she felt every inch of his morning erection.
Izzy closed her eyes and groaned.
Tristan stiffened beside her.
“Don’t worry, you didn’t disturb me. I was already awake,” she said.
He pulled his arm out from under her, and her head dropped to the bed. A second later, he was off the mattress and halfway across the room. She stared at him from beneath her lashes. Tristan scrubbed a hand over his shadowed jaw.
“I’m going to catch a shower,” he said. “Unless you want to go first.”
Izzy pulled the covers down to her waist but couldn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she focused on his shoulder. “That’s okay. You go ahead.”
Tristan gave her a curt nod and grabbed his tote. “When I get out, we’ll grab something to eat, then get out of here.”
“Where are we going?” Izzy thought for sure they’d spend their days hanging in the swamp, waiting for the monster to come.
“Into town,” he said as if that were obvious. “We want to make sure the Darkling catches your scent.”
Izzy didn’t reply. What was the use? He’d told her yesterday that he’d planned to use her as bait. One night spent in his arms wasn’t going to change his plans.
She waited for the door to close behind Tristan then wandered into the kitchen. Izzy put on some coffee and found a box of cereal. She pulled out two bowls and a couple of spoons. She left one out for Tristan, then filled hers and wandered back to the table.
Izzy slipped on some shorts. She felt too exposed in her T-shirt. Which was weird, since she hadn’t felt that way last night. She thought about the moment she’d woken, wrapped in Tristan’s strong arms.
For a few seconds, Izzy had forgotten all about monsters and being hunted. She’d forgotten all about being stuck in a cabin with a man who hated humans. She’d just been a woman, lying in a man’s arms. And it had felt...nice. For once in her life, she had actually felt safe.
Izzy should’ve known the moment wouldn’t last. Life as she knew it was a never-ending nightmare. Tristan’s arrival wasn’t going to change that.
* * * * *
Tristan couldn’t seem to get her scent off his skin. It was like he’d absorbed part of her essence overnight. He scrubbed harder, but he still felt her warmth in his arms. He glanced down at his hard shaft and cursed under his breath.
This wasn’t good.
He jerked the nozzle to cold and stood under the pelting spray. It helped with his body’s physical response but did little to alleviate his growing need.
Damn her!
Tristan shut the water off and wrung his hair out. He didn’t dare go out there in his current condition. He heard Isabel crunching on something and smelled the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting on the air.
He couldn’t hide in the bathroom all day. Eventually he’d have to face her. It was best to do so head on before she got the wrong idea about them—about him.
Tristan pulled on a pair of jeans and a clean navy T-shirt, then yanked his hair back and tied it at his nape. He shaved quickly, while glaring at himself in the mirror.
Last night, he’d come close to doing something he’d absolutely regret. He’d have to make sure the opportunity didn’t arise again because he wouldn’t be strong enough to turn it down a second time.
* * * * *
Chapter Nine
The French Quarter bustled with tourists by the time Tristan parked his truck. He hadn’t said much on the drive into New Orleans, and for that Izzy was grateful.
She was so embarrassed about last night that she’d rather pretend it didn’t happen. Izzy unhooked her seatbelt and climbed out.
“What now?” she asked.
Tristan adjusted his sunglasses. “Now we mingle, so the Darkling has a chance to catch your scent.”
“What happens if he does?” she asked, hoping there was more to the plan than that.
“It’ll draw him out and allow me to get close to him,” he said.
Izzy glanced around at the crowded sidewalks. “Tell me your plan isn’t to kill him in front of all these people,” she said.
Tristan snorted. “Hardly,” he said. “I’ll track him back to his lair, then I’ll kill him.”
Izzy rolled her eyes.
“What?” Tristan asked.
“Frosty, you make him sound like a Bond villain,” she said. “I’ll follow him back his lair.” Izzy rubbed her hands together and cackled maniacally.
Tristan’s expression eased.
For a second, she thought he might laugh, but then the moment passed.
“There’s something really wrong with you,” he said.
“At least I’m not a talking snowball,” she said, then wandered down the sidewalk.
Tristan crossed his arms over his chest. “Where are you going?”
Izzy shrugged. “You said to wander. I’m wandering.”
“I’ll be close by,” he said.
Her footsteps faltered. “You’re not coming with me?”
“He won’t approach you if I’m by your side,” Tristan said, then disappeared in the crowd. Quite an impressive feat given his size.
Izzy hesitated then kept walking. Being bait sucked! As she window-shopped, she thought about last night. She hadn’t expected Tristan to be so caring. When she’d woken up and thought she’d seen a monster outside her window, Izzy had expected him to ask her if she was okay, then go back to the couch. But he hadn’t.
Instead, Tristan had climbed into bed beside her and held her until she fell asleep. Izzy didn’t want to think about how good his arms had felt wrapped around her. Part of her hated that he’d made her feel safe. It only made his absence worse.
She kept walking. A couple times Izzy thought she caught a glimpse of Tristan in the window’s reflection, but when she’d checked, he was nowhere t
o be found.
Izzy wandered another two blocks. The heat was already beginning to make her sweat. Most natives knew to get inside in the afternoon. Only the tourists were dumb enough to soldier on.
She turned a corner, and the skin on her nape prickled. Izzy allowed her senses to flare. The power she brushed against didn’t feel like her snowman’s. Was it the Darkling?
Izzy slowly scanned the area. What did a Darkling look like? Did it resemble a werewolf? A person? Or something altogether different? She should’ve asked.
She casually glanced at the faces around her, searching for some sign that would let her know that they weren’t human. When that didn’t yield anything, Izzy opened her power of Sight. The second she did, she saw Spirits fleeing from the next street over.
What could’ve frightened the dead? Izzy fought the urge to run with them.
She needed to find out what was going on. Izzy passed a couple of houses but didn’t see anything unusual. She took a deep breath and kept going. Where was Tristan? Izzy crossed between two more houses. One of the homes had a massive trellis attached to the side of it. As she stepped past a trellis of honeysuckle, someone grabbed her.
Izzy opened her mouth to scream, but a palm came down over her face before she could. Fear stabbed her and her skin crawled. She struggled to break the man’s tight grip. Everything inside of Izzy told her to get away.
“It’s Stone,” a low voice hissed. “Don’t scream.” He waited for her to nod, then he quickly pulled his hand away.
Izzy found Stone standing behind her. “What are you doing?” she whispered. “I thought you were—” She cut the words off before she finished the sentence. Izzy wasn’t going to get into a conversation about a creature she knew nothing about. “You scared me to death,” she said instead.
“Sorry.” He scrubbed a hand through his disheveled hair. He’d shoved his wrinkled shirt into one side of his jeans, leaving the other half to flap on the outside. His red eyes showed just how little sleep he’d gotten. “I couldn’t take the chance that the monster would hear you.”
Izzy understood all too well the need for caution, given a wolf’s keen senses. “Are you okay?” she asked, attempting to read him. She encountered a wall of darkness. “You look...” Tired. Wrecked. Stressed. None of those words properly described his current state.
“I’m fine.” Stone frowned at her. “What are you doing? Why are you giving me that funny look?”
She’d been busted. “I tried to read you.”
Stone became unnaturally still. “And?”
“I can’t,” Izzy said. “Why is that?”
Some of the tension in his body eased, and he scanned the sidewalks around them. “I’ve learned how to block people like us and the monsters. No one can sense me unless I want them to. If we had more time, I’d teach you how to do it.”
The idea was beyond tempting to Izzy. What would life be like if she didn’t have to worry about the monsters sensing her? It seemed like a fantasy...yet if what Stone said was true, then perhaps it was possible.
“Then how did you know I was here?” she asked in confusion.
Stone blinked. “You called me. Remember?”
“Oh, right,” she said. Izzy had forgotten all about phoning Stone. She’d told him about the cabin, but how did he know she’d be here?
“You still want my help, don’t you?” he asked.
His question interrupted her thoughts. “Yes, of course,” she said.
Stone smiled. “Good,” he said. “I thought for a minute that you’d changed your mind.” Something about the grin reminded her of a shark.
You’re seeing monsters everywhere now, she chastised.
Izzy hadn’t changed her mind about getting away from Tristan. She thought about it. No, definitely not. Though leaving didn’t seem nearly as urgent as it had yesterday afternoon.
“I’ve parked a few blocks over,” Stone said. “If we can make it to my car, I think we can get away from him. The last time I saw him, he was several blocks away.”
Izzy followed a few feet then stopped. How did he know where Tristan was? She didn’t even know where he’d wandered off to.
“How did you see him without him knowing that you were there?” she asked.
Stone glanced back. “What?”
Izzy repeated the question.
His brow furrowed. “I told you. I’m able to block myself. Even if I hadn’t been able to, I spotted his blond head above the crowd and went the other direction before he saw me.”
It was possible. She’d managed to avoid Tristan, but not for long. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“I have an apartment on the other side of town,” he said. “We’ll be safe there for a little while, but it’s merely a temporary solution. There’s only one sure way to get away from the monster for good.”
“Do you mean blocking him?” she asked.
Stone stopped. The look he gave her sent a chill down Izzy’s spine.
Her steps faltered. “What exactly are you referring to?”
“If you want to protect yourself, protect me, protect your friends, and your family, there is going to come a time when you have to choose sides. It’s either us or the monsters.”
Izzy stumbled back a step. “Are you talking about killing Tristan?” she asked, horrified by the notion.
Stone shook his head. “No, I’m talking about killing the monster before it kills us.”
“I—I can’t kill Tristan,” she stuttered. “I can’t kill anybody.” But especially not him, even though Tristan had behaved like a careless jerk.
Stone gave her a hard stare. “We may not have a choice. You need to be prepared for that possibility,” Stone said.
How could she prepare for something she couldn’t comprehend? In all the years that Izzy had been running from the monsters, it never occurred to her to fight them head on. She pictured Tristan’s face, pictured the concern that had been on it last night when he’d crawled into bed beside her. The idea of killing him left an odd ache in her chest.
“We have to go now,” Stone said. “He’s getting closer.”
* * * * *
The first pulse from the lodestone around his neck nearly drove Tristan to his knees. It was like taking a direct strike from lightning.
The fact that it was so strong told him that the Darkling was nearby. His head whipped around, but Tristan didn’t see Isabel.
Where had she gone?
He’d put enough distance between them to draw it out, but perhaps it had been too much. Fear embraced him as Tristan realized he might not reach her in time.
You can’t always protect bait... Pierre’s parting words struck deep.
Failure wasn’t allowed to enter his mind. Just the thought of losing Isabel gutted him. Tristan didn’t want to look too closely at why.
He followed the pulse of magic around the next block, but Isabel was nowhere to be seen. The lodestone throbbed like a toothache. Tristan turned left and ran another block.
As he rounded the corner, he saw a flash of purple hair in the distance. Isabel. He’d just taken a step toward her when he caught another movement. She wasn’t alone. The man disappeared out of sight, and Isabel chased after him. Tristan’s beast nearly burst from his body as he watched her run away.
* * * * *
Izzy followed Stone’s brisk pace. Every step she took got heavier and heavier. It was as if her body didn’t want her to leave, which was insane, since she’d been trying to get away from Tristan since they met.
She may not like Frosty, but she didn’t want him dead. The thought made her heart hurt. As she ran, Izzy wondered just how many monsters Stone had killed. Suddenly, she wasn’t sure going with him was the right thing to do.
He knows how to block them. Block you. If you could learn how to do that, it would change your life. Hell, it would give you back your life.
As much as she disagreed with his methods, Izzy had no choice but to go with him, at least until St
one taught her how to block. Then they’d part ways. Izzy wasn’t a monster slayer and had no desire to be.
“How much farther?” she asked.
“We have another block and a half to go,” Stone said, then his eyes widened. “He’s right behind us. Run faster!”
Izzy turned to see Tristan sprinting toward them. He had a murderous expression upon his face. She glanced back to check on Stone, but he was long gone. So much for saving her.
* * * * *
Tristan’s heart stopped. Fear had crippled him at first, but he’d been determined to reach her. When Isabel saw him and ran, Tristan’s fear turned to anger. An unexpected wave of hurt followed his fury.
“Isabel, stop!” he shouted, easily closing the distance between them. There was no way a human could outrun one of the Moonlight Kin.
She skidded to a halt.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “Who was that man you were with?” He demanded answers. This time he wouldn’t allow her to deflect the questions.
“He’s just a friend,” she said.
Tristan’s beast didn’t like the idea of another male hanging around her. “If he’s just a friend, then why did you run?” he asked.
“He’s like me, okay?” she said, defensively.
“Like you how?” Tristan asked.
“He’s Sighted,” Isabel said.
Tristan had never heard of a male being a Sighted-One, but he supposed it was possible. “What were you doing with him?”
Her brow furrowed. “Um...”
“Isabel?” He didn’t bother to hide the warning in his voice.
She rounded on him. “If you must know, I was running away.”
“From me?” Tristan reeled back. He’d wanted an honest answer. He just wasn’t prepared for what he got.
“No, I ran from the other monsters,” she said sarcastically.
His scowled deepened.
Moonlight Kin 4: Tristan Page 9
